Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is
intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (see General
Instruction A.2. below):

¨

Written communications
pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405
of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter).

Emerging
growth company ¨

If
an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for
complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ¨

Item 2.02

Results of Operations and Financial Condition.

The information set forth under this “Item
2.02. Results of Operations and Financial Condition,” including the exhibit attached hereto, shall not be deemed “filed”
for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, nor shall it be deemed incorporated by reference
into any filing under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, except as shall be expressly set forth by specific reference in such
filing.

Attached as Exhibit 99.1 is a copy of a
press release of Cyclacel Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (the “Company”), dated November 12, 2018, announcing certain
financial results for the second quarter ended September 30, 2018.

The Company will conduct a conference call
to review its financial results on November 12, 2018, at 4:30 p.m., Eastern Time.

Pursuant to the requirements
of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned
thereunto duly authorized.

CYCLACEL PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.

By:

/s/ Paul McBarron

Name:

Paul McBarron

Title:

Executive Vice President—Finance,

Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer

Date: November 13, 2018

Exhibit 99.1

Cyclacel Pharmaceuticals Reports ThIRD Quarter 2018 Financial
Results

- Conference Call Scheduled November
12, 2018 at 4:30 p.m. ET -

Berkeley Heights, NJ, November 12,
2018 - Cyclacel Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: CYCC, NASDAQ: CYCCP; "Cyclacel" or the "Company"), a biopharmaceutical
company developing innovative medicines based on cancer cell biology, today reported financial results and business highlights
for the third quarter 2018. The Company's net loss applicable to common shareholders for the three months ended September 30, 2018
was $2.1 million. As of September 30, 2018, cash and cash equivalents totaled $19.0 million.

“We continue to execute on our strategy to rapidly develop
CYC065 and CYC140 in hematological malignancies and CYC065 in advanced solid tumors,” said Spiro Rombotis, President and
Chief Executive Officer of Cyclacel. “The Phase 1 study evaluating CYC065 in combination with venetoclax in patients with
relapsed/refractory CLL and the CYC140 first-in-human study are open for enrollment. Two further protocols evaluating combinations
of CYC065 and sapacitabine are in development. Our alliance with MD Anderson allows us to parallel track the development of our
drugs
in a cash-sparing manner while utilizing MD Anderson’s expertise to recruit patients across four studies. We estimate
that our cash resources will be sufficient to fund operations until the second quarter of 2020. We are also pleased to report that
the IST evaluating sapacitabine and olaparib in BRCA positive patients with breast cancer has started to enroll.”

Key Company Highlights

·

Announced
a three-year strategic alliance agreement with The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center enabling clinical evaluation
of three Cyclacel medicines in patients with hematological malignancies. MD Anderson will conduct four clinical studies, with
a total projected enrollment ofpatients, investigating CYC065, CYC140 and sapacitabine either as single agents or in combination
with approved drugs.

·

Opened
for enrollment the Phase 1 clinical trial evaluating CYC065 in combination with venetoclax, a Bcl-2 inhibitor, in patients with
relapsed/refractory CLL. Preclinical data presented at AACR 2018 showed enhanced activity of CYC065 and venetoclax combination
in CLL tumor samples, including those with 17p deletions. The combination also demonstrated activity in two CLL samples resistant
to either agent alone, suggesting that dual targeting of Mcl-1 and Bcl-2 dependent mechanisms could induce synergistic cell death.

·

First
patient dosed in the Phase 1b/2 investigator-sponsored trial (IST) of sapacitabine with olaparib, an approved PARP inhibitor,
in BRCA positive patients with breast cancer. Preclinical data support the hypothesis that dual targeting of the DNA damage response
pathway by combining olaparib with sapacitabine may enhance the efficacy of standard of care treatment for BRCA positive patients
with breast cancer.

·

Activated
the CYC140 first-in-human study in advanced leukemias. CYC140
is a novel, small molecule, selective polo-like-kinase 1 (PLK1) inhibitor. CYC140 is differentiated from other PLK1 inhibitors,
demonstrating potent and selective target inhibition and high activity in xenograft models of human cancers when dosed orally
at non-toxic doses.

Progressed
patient enrollment in part 2 of the Phase 1 study evaluating CYC065 monotherapy in patients with advanced solid tumors including
those with Mcl-1, MYC or cyclin E amplified cancers relevant to
CYC065’s mechanism of action. Part 2 is evaluating increased dosing frequency of
two days per week for two weeks of a three-week cycle.

·

Completed
meetings with three European regulatory authorities with the objective of determining a potential regulatory pathway for sapacitabine
in elderly AML. The regulators provided consistent guidance on next steps and Cyclacel is evaluating a potential request for a
meeting with the Scientific Advice Working Party of the European Medicines Agency.

·

Appointed
Robert J. Spiegel, M.D. to the Board of Directors. Dr. Spiegel brings over 30 years of R&D and operational experience in the
biopharmaceutical industry as well as advisory experience to venture capital and private equity funds.

·

Entered
into a Common Stock Sales Agreement with H.C. Wainwright & Co., LLC as sales agent, pursuant to which the agent may sell shares
of common stock having an aggregate offering price of up to $5.0 million by any method that is deemed to be an “at the market
offering” as defined in Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933 as amended.

Financial Highlights

As of September 30, 2018, cash and
cash equivalents totaled $19.0 million compared to $23.9 million as of December 31, 2017. The decrease of $4.9 million in the nine-months
was primarily due to net cash used in operating activities, including $1.2 million of R&D tax credit received from the United
Kingdom government.

Research and development expenses were
$1.2 million for the three months ended September 30, 2018 compared to $1.0 million for the same period in 2017.

General and administrative expenses were
$1.3 million for the three months ended September 30, 2018 compared to $1.2 million for the same period in 2017.

Other income, net for the three months
ended September 30, 2018 was $0.1 million compared to $36,000 for the same period of the previous year.

The United Kingdom R&D and tax
credits were $0.3 million for the three months ended September 30, 2018 compared to $0.2 million for the same period in 2017.

Net loss for the three months ended September 30, 2018 was $2.1
million compared to $1.9 million for the same period in 2017. With the cash-sparing benefits accruing from the MD Anderson alliance
the Company believes that cash and marketable securities, which were approximately $19.0 million as of September 30, 2018, will
be sufficient to finance operations until the second quarter of 2020.

For the live and archived webcast,
please visit the Corporate Presentations page on the Cyclacel website at www.cyclacel.com. The webcast will be archived for 90
days and the audio replay for 7 days.

3

About Cyclacel Pharmaceuticals,
Inc.

Cyclacel Pharmaceuticals is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical
company using its expertise in cell cycle, transcriptional regulation and DNA damage response biology in cancer cells to develop
innovative medicines. The transcriptional regulation program is evaluating CYC065, a CDK inhibitor, in patients with advanced solid
cancers and in combination with venetoclax in patients with advanced hematological malignancies. The DNA damage response program
is evaluating a combination of sapacitabine and seliciclib, a CDK inhibitor, in BRCA positive patients with advanced solid cancers
and sapacitabine and olaparib, a PARP inhibitor, in BRCA positive patients with breast cancer. CYC140, a PLK inhibitor, is ready
to start investigation in cancer patients. Cyclacel's strategy is to build a diversified biopharmaceutical business focused in
hematology and oncology based on a pipeline of novel drug candidates. For additional information, please visit www.cyclacel.com.

Forward-looking Statements

This
news release contains certain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results
to be materially different from historical results or from any future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.
Such forward-looking statements include statements regarding, among other things, the efficacy, safety and intended utilization
of Cyclacel's product candidates, the conduct and results of future clinical trials, plans regarding regulatory filings, future
research and clinical trials and plans regarding partnering activities. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially
include the risk that product candidates that appeared promising in early research and clinical trials do not demonstrate safety
and/or efficacy in larger-scale or later clinical trials, trials may have difficulty enrolling, Cyclacel may not obtain approval
to market its product candidates, the risks associated with reliance on outside financing to meet capital requirements, and the
risks associated with reliance on collaborative partners for further clinical trials, development and commercialization of product
candidates. You are urged to consider statements that include the words "may," "will," "would,"
"could," "should," "believes," "estimates," "projects," "potential,"
"expects," "plans," "anticipates," "intends," "continues," "forecast,"
"designed," "goal," or the negative of those words or other comparable words to be uncertain and forward-looking.
For a further list and description of the risks and uncertainties the Company faces, please refer to our most recent Annual Report
on Form 10-K and other periodic and other filings we file with the Securities and Exchange Commission and are available at www.sec.gov.
Such forward-looking statements are current only as of the date they are made, and we assume no obligation to update any forward-looking
statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Preferred stock, $0.001 par value; 5,000,000 shares authorized at December 31, 2017 and September 30, 2018; 6% Convertible Exchangeable preferred stock; 335,273 shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2017 and September 30, 2018. Aggregate preference in liquidation of $4,006,512 as of December 31, 2017 and September 30, 2018.

-

-

Series A convertible preferred stock, $0.001 par value; 264 shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2017 and September 30, 2018.

-

-

Common stock, $0.001 par value;
100,000,000 shares authorized at December 31, 2017 and September 30, 2018; 11,997,447 shares issued and outstanding at
December 31, 2017 and September 30, 2018.